Autologous neuron transplants in monkeys provide hope for relieving Parkinson’s symptoms

In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (WI, USA) have reported promising results after implanting autologous neuron grafts into the brains of monkeys that were exhibiting Parkinson’s symptoms prior to treatment. This approach, which involves generating neurons from the monkey’s own induced pluripotent stem cells, avoids complications with the primates’ immune system and paves the way toward applications in humans. The loss of dopamine as a result of damage to neurons in Parkinson’s disease makes it progressively harder to coordinate muscles, leading to the hallmark symptoms of rigidity, slowness and tremors experienced by individuals...